Aldus Manutius (c. 1450-1515) came to Venice in 1490 and published his first book, a Greek grammar by Constantine Lascaris, in 1494-1495. Active throughout the sixteenth century, the Aldine Press revolutionized the production, accessibility, and use of the book. Most of its early publications were of Greek texts, including a folio edition of the works of Aristotle and first editions of more than ninety other Greek texts, but from the beginning the press also published many important Latin and Italian authors in a variety of fields. Aldus introduced a number of innovations which helped shape the development of the modern book, including italic type and the smaller pocket-sized volume.
The Ransom Center collection of Aldine books represents one of the largest holdings of this material in the United States. Many of the books, almost three hundred of them, are of unusual interest for their exceptional bindings, handpainted illuminations, and famous owners. This descriptive catalogue contains full descriptions of each book, including records of its early owners and how they used their books.
This work will be of interest to a wide variety of individual readers-historians of the book, bibliographers, literary and cultural historians, book collectors, and antiquarian booksellers-and to university libraries.